𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎𝐍𝐄

❛━. 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 06

❛━.       𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 06

        Bright stared at his hands in disbelief. He had just helped someone, and to his surprise, it was Win. The same kid who had been getting on his nerves since that night at school. So, Bright had made up his mind that he absolutely did not want to run into Win, like, at all.

But, how life works is a mystery, it just has to go and throw them together.

He thought he could've have been a mysterious person helping, but Mond came running to the scene while he was wrapping Win's wound up. After he was done stopping the bleeding, he left without saying anything to Mond who was just watching him.

Then, instead of going to the family house, he goes to his condo.

He still can't believe what he did yesterday. It's been on his mind all night. He's really curious about why Win was alone when it happened. Bright can't stop thinking about whether Win is okay or not. It wasn't the blood that bothers him, it's when he wrapped the bandage over the stabbed wound, that he could see how weak Win was that bothers him.

Even now he could still feel how cold Win hands were at that time.

"What are you thinking about, kid? Come here and eat," Papang calls out to Bright, while carefully placing the freshly cooked plate of fried rice onto the table.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Bright got up from the couch and walked over to the dining table. Looking at the man who just cooks for him, Bright smiles a little.

"It's nothing and thank you phi..." Bright mumbles as he takes a seat at the dining table.

As he gazed upon the steaming plate of fried rice, he reached for the spoon, ready to dig in. In that moment, a realization washed over him — amidst the ups and downs of life, there was one person who had consistently been his unwavering support. It's his step brother, Papang.

Bright's father had two wives in his lifetime. The first wife, of course, is Bright's mother, and the current wife is the mother of Papang.

Papang understands the elder man's character and is burdened by the fact that the man who is blood related to Bright was the one responsible for the accident that affected his son. The accident was horrible and it was also used to gain support through the media for his politics campaign. And so, Papang also experiences a sense of guilt. He had never met anyone as selfish as the man that his mother had married.

"Did father know you're not going home tonight?" Papang asks, then takes a seat before he eats his share of food he made for Bright.

"Why would he care?" Bright says tiredly as he eats a spoonful of the fried rice.

The two of them enjoyed their meal together, quietly savoring each bite.

Even after the slightly uncomfortable conversation, they continued to pick at their food, lost in their own thoughts.

Bright had never been a picky eater but however, in front of his father, he couldn't even swallow anything. The discomfort he had while sharing a table with the man who cares nothing more than his own fame.

"Ah, I heard from my mother that your father said you submitted a blank test paper... And he seems quite furious about it..." Papang says quietly, looking over at Bright whose eyes stare bored at his spoon.

Papang had a hunch that Bright wasn't the type to struggle academically. He observed that Bright used to excel in school, winning medals for his achievements and consistently ranking first. However, after the accident and the loss of his mother, everything seemed to shift. Papang couldn't help but notice a change in the look in Bright's eyes.

Papang recalls his mother's expression of intense anxiety when she told him about Bright locking himself in his room for months. It was hard to get Bright out of his room. Even the housekeeper, Fah, the one who's been taking care of Bright, finds it hard to talk to him. However, Papang's heart skipped a beat when he received the unexpected news that Bright finally had made the decision to go to school.

The day he finally sees Bright's face, Papang still couldn't help but to feel worried. The boy was frail, almost too weak to even pick a fight with. He even looks really pale.

"I didn't have enough time to fill in the test... I was asleep anyway..." Bright mumbles bitterly as he takes a sip of his water and looks over at Papang.

Bright could see the older male's deep concern written over his face, his forehead wrinkled and his eyes filled with anxiety. It was clear that the weight of his anxieties had fallen heavily on him. As Bright think back, he couldn't help but wonder at the unexpected connection that they had.

Probably because of what happened in the past. It was when Papang unexpectedly stumbled upon him in the bathroom one day, catching him off guard.

He remembers how the bathroom itself was shrouded in an unsettling silence, only interrupted by the sound of his labored breaths and the steady drip of water from the showerhead. As he sits on the floor, Bright's wrist bore the unmistakable crimson evidence of his pain, while his eyes seemed to gaze aimlessly at the walls, boringly staring at it.

It was since then that Papang had taken extra care with Bright. He would often spend time with Bright, be it going out, or spending time with him at his condo.

"Have you been taking the medication, Bright?" Papang asks seriously, looking over at his brother.

Papang wonders sometimes, even before he came into the family picture, what was Bright like. He'd seen a few pictures of baby Bright, smiling widely with his mother. But never one where he smiles around his father.

"Yeah, I have..." Bright hesitate at first but answer after thinking.

"You better not lie... The medication is to help you, Bright." Papang suddenly got up after mumbling. He goes to one of the kitchen cabinets where he knows Bright puts all his stuff.

He checks the medicine Bright had and sighs softly in relief.

"I'm really alright, Phi." Bright says with a small smile.

Am I really?

"Eerr... I've seen you've been taking them. That's good." Papang chuckles as he puts back the medicines and walks back to the table.

"Today you don't have any date?" Bright asks, raising his eyebrows as he glances over the clock on his wall.

Papang looks over and sighs again, then taking off the apron he was wearing the whole time, even after he was done having a meal with Bright.

"You're lucky that I have a date, you little kid. If not, you'll be hearing me nagging at you. Alright. Call me if there's anything okay?" Papang laughs and ruffles Bright's hair with a grin.

Bright chuckles as he pushes away Papang's hand.

"I'm not a kid! And yeah yeah... I'll call you if there's anything!" Bright laughs and watches how Papang did a little jog as he goes out the front door.

As soon as Papang presence was gone, Bright found himself sinking into the chair, overcome with a sense of heaviness. A deep sigh escaped his lips, causing his once radiant smile to vanish completely. It was as if the closing of the door had taken away all the joy in his heart.